Del Mar gives P60T assistance for funeral of flashflood victims

Cebu City North District Rep. Raul Del Mar has recently given financial aid to Alfredo Balagapo Jr, whose wife and three children drowned in a flashflood that hit sitio Sindulan, barangay Mabolo Wednesday evening.

Del Mar, together with Mabolo kagawad Rey Ompoc, the other night went to the wake of the Balagapo family at the Rolling Hills Funeral Homes on A.S. Fortuna Street in Mandaue City.

The congressman handed to the grieving Alfredo P60,000 in cash assistance covering the funeral expenses.

Aside from the financial aid, Del Mar also assured Alfredo that he would check into the probe of the tragic accident that a team of city engineers has been conducting.

Six people died at Sindulan, Mabolo when the creek alongside the rented house of the Balagapos overflowed from a downpour at the time and caused the house concrete wall to collapse. The Balagapo folk, who were sleeping then, were trapped inside and drowned.

The fatalities were Alfredo's 35-year-old wife, Prescilla; children Frealla Ann, 7, Fritzie Joyce, 6, and Alfredo III, 3; cousin Abigail Familara, 24; and Elsa Gocela, 38.

"Nagsigi na man ang investigation. Anyway ang important ani mapatuman ang pagpahawa sa mga panimay duol sa sapa ug dili nato paaboton nga dunay laing mahitabo," Del Mar said.

Balagapo, for his part, said he still has the options whether or not he would file a complaint of negligence against those responsible for the death of his family.

He told TV Patrol-Cebu, however, that his present concern is to take care first of the funeral of his family before deciding on what to do on the case after the internment.

Vice Mayor Michael Rama, in a separate interview, said that other than pursuing responsibility over the Balagapo family tragedy, the problem should be addressed to avoid a similar occurrence in the future.

Meanwhile, councilor Edgardo Labella said last Thursday he requested George and Peter Lines Inc, to help the family of the other fatality, Familara, in transporting her body home to Zamboanga City.

"Your humanitarian assistance will greatly help the family of Ms. Familara in Zamboaga City, who has never expected this... to occur and is waiting for her body return home," Labella wrote to the firm's general manager Teofanes Yap.

The shipping company responded yesterday and offered to ship for free Familara's body to Zamboanga on Monday through the vessel's Dumaguete-Dapitan route. - Garry B. Lao and Ramil V. Ayuman/RAE